Chapter Four: Unwelcomed Neighbors
1035 Words
Marina stood in her new apartment, the walls still bare and echoing her frustrations. She had managed to secure the place after a whirlwind of panic and negotiation with the landlady. It wasn't easy to secure the negotiation but she tried.
Watching her father negotiate with clients all her life gives her the chance to mark her first negotiation successful.
Meanwhile, in the next room, Noah was settling into his apartment. After a chaotic escape from his past, he had found solace in the same building, unaware of Marina’s presence just opposite him.
Marina, who had a huge love for music, started the first morning with music. The music blared through the thin walls, jolting Noah awake. He pounded on the ceiling, irritation boiling over. “What the f**k!” he shouted, his voice cutting through the air.
However, Marina was deeply into the music as she swayed her hips to the rhythm of the music.
In annoyance, Noah stepped out of his room and knocked loudly on the door until Marina got off her music.
"Who is there?" Marina as she made her way to open the door. On opening the door, her stomach tumbled in annoyance. Likewise Noah.
"You again!!" They both chorused.
“Can you keep it down? Some of us are trying to enjoy our lives! Why are you knocking as if something goes wrong with your brain” she screamed, her patience wearing thin.
Noah retorted instantly, “Maybe if you didn’t blast that terrible music, I wouldn’t have to drown it out!”
"Seeing you again is like a bad Omen! Argh!" Marina shut her door and Noah also stormed into his room in annoyance.
The two of them find each other annoying.
Their mutual disdain grew over the following days. Their mutual disdain grew over the following days. Marina’s attempts to decorate her space were constantly interrupted by Noah’s loud complaints, and they ended up having a fallout.
Meanwhile, they didn't know it was something they felt until they started looking for a chance to argue with each other, just to spend time together.
On a peaceful morning when everywhere was silent, Marina found Noah’s dirty dishes piled in the shared hallway, and she didn’t hesitate to knock on his door. “Can you not be such a slob? This is a shared space!”
Noah opened the door, his expression a mix of annoyance and disbelief. “Who do you think you are? The apartment police? Get a life!”
Their arguments escalated. One evening, while Marina was trying to cook, smoke filled her apartment from a burned dinner. The smoke alarm blared, and Noah, already irritated from a long day, banged on her door. “Seriously? Are you trying to set the place on fire?”
Marina flung the door open, fire extinguisher in hand. “At least I’m trying to do something! Why do you keep interfering in other's matters"
"Oh my goodness! I've forgotten she already had a loudspeaker in her," Noah muttered, giving her a sneer before leaving her sight.
Again, they had another argument.
One night, after a particularly heated argument about the thermostat settings, they found themselves standing in front of each other, breathing heavily. “You think you can just bully people into doing what you want?” Noah challenged, his voice low.
Marina crossed her arms defiantly. “And you think you can just be an arrogant jerk without consequences? This isn’t your kingdom!”
Unfortunately, Marina tried to show Noah her muscle to fight, but she ended up losing her balance and ended up grabbing Noah's t-shirt.
In the process, they both landed on the floor as their lips brushed against each other. At that moment, they couldn't express their feelings.
Marina felt like a paradise as soon as his lips landed on hers. Noah had a spark to go further in the kissing process.
When the two lose their sense of reasoning, Marina moves her bottom lip, positioning Noah's lip in the middle of hers. When Noah understands the logic, he responds to the kids,s, and it becomes deeper.
Marina also responded instinctively, her fingers tangling in his hair as she kissed him back with equal fervor. Noticing her reaction, Noah pulled Marina closer, deepening the kiss, as if trying to erase all the arguments and misunderstandings that had come before.
Just as they were lost in the moment, the sound of a key turning in the lock snapped them back to reality. The door swung open, and their landlady stepped in, her eyes widening in shock at the sight before her.
“What on earth—?” she exclaimed, her voice cutting through the air like ice.
Marina and Noah sprang apart, wide-eyed and breathless, the moment shattered. They exchanged panicked glances, both acutely aware of the awkwardness that now filled the room.
“Uh, I… we were just…” Noah sputtered, struggling to find words.
Marina felt her face flush with embarrassment, her heart racing for an entirely different reason now. “This isn’t what it looks like!” she blurted out, but even she could hear the weak defense in her voice.
The landlady raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms as she surveyed the scene. “Really? Because it looks like you two were having a rather passionate moment,” she said, a teasing lilt in her voice, though her expression was serious.
Noah ran a hand through his hair, trying to regain composure. “We were just....”
He became short of words and bit his lip awkwardly.
Marina, still flustered, added, “We were just… getting to know each other better.”
The landlady smirked, clearly not buying their excuse. “Well, I hope you two can keep the noise down. I have other tenants to consider,” she said, her tone lightening slightly. “But do keep it civil.”
With that, she turned and left, leaving Noah and Marina standing in the aftermath of their interrupted kiss. The air was thick with tension, but now it had a different flavor, one of uncertainty mixe
d with the thrill of what had just happened.
The two angry birds just kissed!
- Writer
